March 26, 2008 by Erin Steiner
If you watch television, it is highly likely that you have seen the commercials for "FreeCreditReport.com" The commercials talk about how important it is to monitor your credit. When you are sitting in front of the television it is easy to ignore these commercials. When you are the victim of an identity theft, you start to wish you had paid more attention.
Beyond identity theft, which is horrible, there are other reasons to check your credit:
1. Your credit rating is important: You should always know your credit score before you apply for a loan or credit card....
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March 17, 2008 by Chris
One of the great truisms of investing is the Cockroach Theory of surprises. Like cockroaches, unpleasant surprises rarely show up alone.
Take the travails of Bear Stearns, one of the pillars of the Wall Street establishment.
At the beginning of the year,
Bear Stearns was trading at over $80/share.
As the subprime mess took its toll, Bear Stearns drifted downwards, until last week's news that JP Morgan had to bail it out caused the stock to drop to $30/share on Friday.
At that point, the inexperienced investor might say, "Looks like the situation is stabilized. Maybe it's a buying opportunity. After all, it's...
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March 6, 2008 by TK
I was reading a recent report by the Federal Reserve that stated that the total equity for homes in the U.S. was at its lowest point since 1945. As a matter of fact, the equity ratio is actually below 50% for the first time ever (they only have statistics back to 1945). What this means is that the American public for the first time owes more on their houses than the equity that is in their houses. Since 1945 we have been through multiple recessions and economic downturns, but this is a first.
A few other stats from...
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March 2, 2008 by Chris
Asset allocation.
Finance experts generally agree that for most investors, the most important factor to consider in their investment strategy is not the latest earning reports, or whether or not a particular drug is going to pass its FDA trials, but rather the basic question of in which broad categories they should invest their money.
If you're lucky enough to find the next Warren Buffett and invest in his company (a great financial tragedy in my own life is that a friend advised me to invest in Berkshire Hathaway in 1989...and I failed to do so), then great. But the key word...
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